AN ACT to amend and reenact section 61-04-14 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to extending time for the application of water to a beneficial use.
HB 1042 amends North Dakota law governing conditional water permits by clarifying and tightening the process for extending the deadline to apply water to a beneficial use. Under current law, the Department of Water Resources may extend or renew the time for beneficial use when good cause is shown; this bill preserves that authority but adds a specific forfeiture consequence if the permit holder does not request renewal within 60 days after being notified that the application period has expired. It also states that if an extension request is denied, the affected permit or portion of the permit is forfeited.
The bill is a targeted administrative change to section 61-04-14 of the North Dakota Century Code. It does not create a new permitting program or change the underlying water-rights framework, but it reinforces deadlines and the consequences for missing them. The bill also confirms that certain related forfeiture provisions in sections 61-04-23 through 61-04-25 do not apply to this section.
HB 1042 affects holders of conditional water permits and the Department of Water Resources by making the renewal/extension timeline more explicit and by establishing automatic forfeiture if a renewal request is not timely filed or if an extension is denied. In practical terms, it strengthens deadline enforcement for water development projects and may reduce ambiguity in administering permit extensions under state water law.
The available record shows broad support and no recorded opposition: the House passed the bill 90-0 and the Senate passed it 45-0, with only a small number of absences in each chamber. No committee transcript or floor debate is provided, but the unanimous votes suggest the bill was viewed as a routine, noncontroversial administrative update requested by the Department of Water Resources.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Because the bill simply clarifies extension procedures and forfeiture consequences for conditional water permits, any potential concerns would likely center on whether the 60-day renewal window is sufficiently flexible for permit holders or whether automatic forfeiture is too strict; however, no legislator or stakeholder objections are included in the record.